Sarko meets the Pope

Religion is long finished, it doesn't deserve respect in itself nor do its practitioners merit our awe or concern. People can do and think what they like, as long as etc., but thinking that you are a chosen one, that you have moral superiority or that there are unbelievers who deserve to roast in flames after they die, pretty much excludes you from serious earthly and political considerations.

Pretty uncontroversial stuff, I'd have thought. Thus, it was with dismay that I turned on the box this afternoon and saw Sarko himself abowing and ascraping to the head of some established religion or other. The thing is, he's the secular head of a secular state - but there he was practically bowing down in supplication. He spent a lot of time waffling on against Islam as well as droning on about the spread of human values. This from a guy who has sent another 1000 troops to the ongoing slow motion train crash that is Afghanistan.

Sarko himself is on a downward trajectory from here on in. He's tried to 'triangulate' between the rock of working class anger and upper class resentment (in the form of numerous attacks on the former and, o my, a one percent tax on the profits of the latter for the RSA - a minimum wage solidarity fund) and is losing support form both and now probably needs some help from any metaphysical being going.

Thus, any port in a storm. He's trying to make himself look other worldly now the worldly realm has turned darker on him.